Padding machine



H. E. PEASE PADDING MACHINE May 10, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR HE/VRXE PEASE Filed July 22, 1954 ATTORNEYS H. E. PEASE PADDING MACHINE May 10 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 22, 1954 INVENTOR HENRY E. PEASE BY M ATTORNEYS United States Patent PADDING MACHINE Henry E. Pease, Harrisburg, Pa.

Application July 22, 1954, Serial No. 445,031

4 Claims. (Cl. 11-1) This invention relates to a padding machine particularly adapted to be used in the paper tablet industry.

Various types of automatic and semi-automatic bookmaking machines are in use today and many of these machines perform functions which are in part similar to those generally carried out in pad making work. However, at the present time there appear to be no machines designed and particularly adapted for padding work.

In view of this, one of the objects of this invention is to provide a machine particularly adapted for continuous padding operations which will be simple in operation and economical to manufacture.

Another object of this invention is to provide a padding machine which is adapted to receive the cut paper on a padding rack which is movable over a prescribed course so that various operations used in making pads may be performed thereon.

Yet another object is to provide a padding machine which Will make it possible for one person to perform all the necessary padding steps from the time the paper is cut, the drying of the adhesive which holds the backing on the pads, and through the removal of the dried units from the padding racks.

This invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, showing by way of example, a preferred embodiment of this invention, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the padding machine, partly broken away, showing the general arrangement of the machine components;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the padding machine;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the padding machine partly broken away to show details of the machine;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged end elevation of a portion of Fig. 2, partly in section, showing the details of a padding rack and the manner in which it is carried by the upper and lower guide channels;

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the padding rack in Fig. 4 showing the details of the rollers which ride in the lower guide channel which later is in section; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view showing the manner in which the padding rack is attached to the driving chain.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 3 this padding machine comprises a table-like base 10 including vertical legs 12, longitudinal beams 14 and connecting cross members 16. Beams 14 and cross members 16 constitute the upper surface of the base 10. A lower U-shaped guide channel 18 is mounted on the upper surface of base 10 and extends around the same to form an oval generally coextensive with the perimeter of the base.

Referring to Fig. 2, a supporting framework assembly 20 is secured to the upper surface of the base 10 within the area defined by the lower guide channel 18. This framework assembly comprises vertical members 22, diagonal end braces 24, longitudinal side braces 26 and top cross members 28. The length of this framework is less than that of the base and has a width which is less than that of the base. An upper U-shaped guide channel 30 is 2,707,790 Patented May 10, 1955 carried on top the supporting framework 20. This channel forms an oval which is generally coextensive with the perimeter of the upper surface of framework 20.

This padding machine includes a plurality of padding racks 32 suitably mounted on the above-described base and framework assembly. As shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 4, each padding rack 32 comprises a rack base 34 with a back plate 36 extending vertically upward from the rack base intermediate the front and back edges 3839 respectively thereof. A plurality of flange-like braces 40'serve to provide the required rigidity to the pad rack.

These padding racks 32 are adapted for movement around the path described by the upper and lower guide channels. They are mounted by means of a three-point suspension, one roller in the upper channel 30 and two rollers in the lower channel 18. Referring to Figs. 1, 3, 4 and 5, a pair of compound roller assemblies 42 is pivotally secured to the underside of rack base 34, and is adapted to ride in channel 18. Each roller assembly 42 comprises a carrier 44 adapted to rotatably support horizontal guide rollers 46 and vertical load bearing roller 48. A pin 50 extends upwardly from the carrier 44 and is pivotally received by carrier plate 52 mounted on the underside of rack base 34. These two compound roller assemblies 42 constitute two parts of the three-point suspension arrangement. As best shown in Figs. 2 and 4, a bracket 54 is secured to the top back side of the rack plate 36 and rotatably carries a horizontal guide roller 56 which rides in upper guide channel 30. This constitutes the third part of the three-point suspension system used for mounting each padding rack.

It should be noted that the compound roller assemblies 42 are mounted at a point intermediate the front edge 38 of rack base 34 and the vertically extending plate 36 and in addition the height of these roller assemblies 42 and the positioning of the top guide roller 56 is such that the base of the pad rack 32 is carried at an angle to the upper surface of the base 10. This is advantageous and quite helpful because it aids in the jogging of the sheets into alignment and also makes it easier to maintain the sheets in an aligned manner by merely placing a weight on top the pile of sheets after they are properly arranged.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, a driving chain 58 deriving its power from a sprocket 60 driven by suitable means through a gear reduction unit 62 connected to said sprocket is pivotally connected to each of the padding racks to traverse them over the path determined by the guide channels. As shown in Fig. 6 the pivotal connection of the chain to the padding racks comprises a pair of triangular brackets 64, one on either side of the chain, and a lug member 66 secured to the back edge 39 of the padding rack. The overlapping ends of the brackets and lug member are apertured and register so that a pin 68 may be positioned therein to form the pivotal connection between the chain and the padding rack.

A chain guide 70 extends around the base of the framework assembly 20 except for that portion wherein the sprocket engages the chain. The guide 70 is in the form of an angle iron as indicated in Fig. 4. The relative position of the chain and chain guide with respect to the remainder of the machine is shown in Fig. 1.

The gear reduction unit 62 is so set up that the padding racks will make a complete turn around the machine in anywhere from six to thirty-six minutes depending on the motor speed which is variable between specified limits.

In use, the sheets of paper are placed on the padding racks and jogged into alignment after which a weight is placed on top of the stack of paper to maintain the sheets in alignment. The adhesive may next be applied to the exposed outer edges of the sheets and the backing material placed thereover. In due course the padding rack will pass before a drying unit composed of the usual drying lamps where the adhesive is dried. After the drying of the adhesive the stacks of paper may be removed from the padding rack. The padding racks are in motion the entire time that these operations are being performed. However, the speed of movement is relatively slow so that no difliculty is experienced :thereby.

This machine makes it possible for one operator to keep pace with two cutting machines and he is able to perform or control all of the operations after the cutting of the paper through the removal of the pads from the padding racks.

In view of the above it is felt that this invention has produced a machine which will fill a long existing need in the padding industry. This machine is neither elaborate nor complicated but it does perform a very useful -job in an economical and satisfactory manner.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as novel and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A padding machine adapted to receive cut sheets of paper in stack form on a plurality of padding racks and convey them over a prescribed course so that various padding operations may be performed thereon, comprising: a base, a framework assembly secured on the upper surface of the base, a lower guide means carried on the base and extending around the outer portion thereof, an upper guide means carried on the framework assembly and extending therearound, a plurality of padding racks carried by the upper and lower guide means, roller means mounted on each padding rack, said roller means riding on the upper and lower guide means, driving means connected to each padding rack to drive the racks around the course prescribed by the upper and lower guide means.

2. A padding machine adapted to receive cut sheets 'of paper in stack form on a plurality of padding racks and convey them over a prescribed course so that various padding operations may be performed thereon, comprising: a table-like base, a framework assembly secured on the upper surface of the base, a lower guide channel carried on the upper surface of the base and extending around the perimeter thereof, an upper guide channel carried on the framework assembly and extending around the perimeter of the same, a plurality of padding racks carried by the aforementioned guide channels, each padding rack comprising a pad base, a back plate secured to and extending upwardly from said base, compound supporting and guiding rollers pivotally mounted on the underside of the pad base, said rollers riding in the lower guide channel, a roller secured to the upper portion of the back plate, said roller riding in the upper guide channel, a sprocket mounted at one end of the base and on the upper surface thereof, a driving chain engaged and driven by the sprocket, said chain extending around the framework assembly where it is secured to the base, the sprocket being driven by suitable power means, a lug extending from the back edge of each pad base, each lug being connected to the chain so that each padding rack will be moved around the path prescribed by the guide channels.

3. A padding machine adapted to receive cut sheets of paper in stack form on a plurality of padding racks and convey them over a prescribed course so that various padding operations may be performed thereon, comprising: a table-like base, said base comprising vertical legs, a pair of longitudinal beams connecting the legs, a plurality of cross members connecting the longitudinal beams, said longitudinal beams and cross members forming the upper surface of the base, a framework assembly secured on top of the base, said framework assembly being less in length and width than the base, a lower guide channel carried on the upper surface of the base, said lower channel being U-shaped in cross-section and forming an oval generally coextensive with the perimeter of the base, an upper guide channel carried on top of the framework assembly, said upper channel being U-shaped in cross-section and forming an oval generally coextensive with the perimeter of the framework assembly, a plurality of padding racks carried by the aforementioned guide channels, each padding rack comprising a pad base, a back plate normal to the pad base, a pair of compound supporting and guiding rollers pivotally mounted on the bottom of the pad base, said rollers riding in the lower guide channel, each compound roller comprising a carrier, a pair of horizontal rollers rotatably mounted thereon, a vertical roller rotatably mounted on the carrier between the horizontal rollers, a roller secured to the top of the back plate, said roller riding in the upper guide channel, a chain guide channel positioned on the upper face of the base and extending outside and around the base of the framework assembly, a chain riding in the chain guide channel, a sprocket mounted at one end of the chain guide and engaging the chain to drive it, said sprocket being driven by suitable power means, a lug extending from the back edge of each pad base, said lugs being connected to the chain so that the padding racks will be moved around the path prescribed by the upper and lower guide channels.

4. The invention described in claim 3 wherein each padding rack is so mounted on the guide channels that the pad base is at an angle to the upper surface of the table-like base so as to aid in the jogging of the sheets into alignment on the rack and also to make it unnecessary to include special holding means for retaining the sheets in aligned position with respect to each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,810,702 Frazier June 16, 1931 2,185,721 Brisendine Jan. 2, 1940 2,494,424 Adelsohn Jan. 10, 1950 

